Solitude – Episode 9

SOLITUDE

_9_

CHANDA

I drive home and I can see that the kitchen light is on, it can only be one person.

‘Hey baby.’ August says

I roll my eyes at him

‘Are we still doing this?’ he asks holding a spoon to my mouth but I keep it closed

‘Just open your mouth.’ He pleads and I do so reluctantly

The foiled fish has been nicely done, the spices are sending me into a different sensation. The red wine he has added is just the right amount, like I love it.

‘You like it?’ he asks with his big grey eyes

‘I love it.’ I respond

He smiles triumphantly, he always does that each time I compliment him.

‘Take a quick bath and join me for dinner before the food gets cold.’ He says

‘Yes, your majesty.’ I respond with a smile

I walk away, I am aware that he is watching my bum and I like it like that. August is the only good thing that has ever happened to me, at a time when I felt that my mother hated me; he came through and loved me so hard. At first it was difficult

because I rarely let people in, I had gone to varsity for a year straight without getting close to anyone and then here comes this white boy in my second year giving a speech to my class about how them the final years were willing to help out with our grades.

I found it absurd, because everyone knew why they went to UNI. If you can’t pass why not go back home and do something else with your life? He picked on me, I don’t know what question he asked but I was too engrossed in my own world that I didn’t hear him, and when I didn’t respond the entire class laughed at me. I hated attention, so for someone who had done well hiding from everyone for an entire year I sure became the laughing stock.

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He tried to apologize after that, he sent flowers. He sent chocolate, every romantic silly thing in the book he did and still he didn’t move me until a point when I thought he had given up but came to embarrass me some more. He booked an entire band to play my favourite song in class and that was it, to stop all the nonsense I had to cut him some slack.

We started to talk, what began as small talk turned into deep conversations. I opened up to him about my background, about how my mother treated me. He pleaded that I try to build a relationship with her but honestly, I think it was too late, I was done trying and Nella could have her for all I cared.

He completed UNI before me, but each and every other day he was present in my life. Whilst in third year I moved into his apartment and he drove me to campus and back home, I had fallen madly in love with him and mum’s presence didn’t mean so much because I had him.

A year after I completed his parents died, it was the most devastating time for the both of us. He became a little distant, I understood this because being an only child that was the only family that he knew. To keep himself busy he started job hunting, not that he needed the money but it was a good distraction and I totally supported him.

I completed and started working for my mother, all this while I never introduced him to her. For some unknown reason I felt if she ever met him, she would love him more than she loved me. So, I decided to keep him to myself.

All this was going so well until he came home one day telling me that he was going to meet my mother, I didn’t know why. He never talked about it until the day he was reading the will to us. I felt betrayed, I was hurt. But being a lawyer, I understand client’s confidentiality so it is still my mother that I hated with a passion.

After her death, I discovered August had been the one to put mum’s will together. I hated that he had kept it from for two years, honestly he was good at his job and I know whatever he did; he did because he was loyal to my mother.

I angrily pushed my hair into a bun after taking my bath, I wanted to hate him for keeping the information from me for so many years but also I knew he was the only person that genuinely loved me and so all I had to do now was either to frustrate Nella so that she could leave or ask August to manipulate the will which I know would be very hard to do.

I found him setting the table in the dining room.

‘Anything I can do to help?’ I asked

‘No my lady, I just want you to enjoy your meal.’ He said smiling

I returned the smile, he had no idea how much I loved him and was willing to go to different heights with him but now I was torn between him being Nella’s lawyer and my man.

‘You look distracted.’ He accused half way into the meal

‘This whole thing is keeping me on the edge.’

‘I thought we agreed that we would never talk about work outside the office.’

‘Baby I know but this whole thing is making me go crazy.’

‘You got this.’ He said reaching out his hand which I took warmly

He stared at his ringing phone, it was a number that wasn’t saved.

‘You won’t take that?’ I asked curiously

‘It’s Ms. Mphanda.’

‘Who?’

‘Nella.’

I dropped my fork to the plate losing my apetitte in an instant

‘And why the hell is she calling you this hour?’

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‘How about we find out?’

‘Good evening Ms. Mphanda.’ He said in his formal voice

I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, a tug at my heart forming. Just what if, I was going to lose the one good thing that I had going now to Nella? How bad would it make me if I just sent her to her early grave? Those thoughts gave me goose bumps but it was a necessary evil